Estranged Karnataka BJP strongman B S Yeddyurappa, who resigned from the primary membership of the party, today became emotional as he recalled his long association with the party even as he trained his guns at BJP leaders for hatching a “conspiracy” against him.
“The party has given everything to me. And I have sacrificed my life to build my previous party (BJP)”, he said, fighting back tears.
Yeddyurappa said he is leaving the party “because of our own (BJP) people. They don’t want me to continue in the party; that’s why I am resigning from the primary membership as also MLAship”.
He is slated to tender his resignation to Speaker K G Bopaiah this afternoon. Yeddyurappa would also fax his resignation from the primary membership, sources said.
“Some people (in BJP) did not want to me to continue as Chief Minister. They tried to put me in the dock. I tolerated in the past one year with a lot of patience”, Yeddyurappa said. “I am leaving the party with deep sadness”.
Without naming anybody, he said some state leaders “stabbed me in the back”.
Yeddyurappa said he resigned as Chief Minister following the direction of the party high-command last year as the “disciplined soldier” of the party. “They mistook my goodness as a weakness”.
He said he would formally join the Karnataka Janatha Paksha at a public rally in Haveri on December nine.
Yeddyurappa urged MLAs and Ministers in the Jagadish Shettar Cabinet supporting him not to resign as he wants the Government to complete its full term and he does not want to rock the boat.
“I have asked them not to resign for the time being”, he said.
Yeddyurappa said he is not leaving BJP for any selfish reason. He wants to develop Karnataka as a model and welfare state.
The 70-year-old Lingayat leader is credited with bringing BJP to power in Karnataka, making it the first ever party government in the south.
Efforts by top BJP leadership to prevent the exit of Yeddyurapa have failed. He turned more belligerent after BJP rebuffed his repeated attempts to regain Chief Ministership and refused to at least make him the state unit party chief.
——PTI